Miami Hurricane, March 01, 1983

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Volume 59 Number 38 Phone 284-4401
Carni Gras recap — see pace s
TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 1983
ABC Examines Media’s Role In Crime
By HOWARD BURNS
Editor in Chief
"Violence and the Media" — the role the media plays in shaping societal behavior — was the topic up for debate as ABC News brought its "Viewpoint program to the University of Miami Auditorium in the James L. Knight International Center last Thursday evening.	■
“Viewpoint" host Ted Koppei moderated the program from Miami, while a panel of experts in New York and Washington fielded questions from the South Florida audience. To insure a full house for Thursday’s program, ABC circulated 700 tickets for an auditorium that seats only 400.
The panel was comprised of: Dr. Alan Wurtzel, director of news, developmental and social research for ABC; Rudolph Giuliani. United States associate attorney general; Roy Danish, director of the Television Information Office; Peggy Charren, founder and president. Action for Children’s Television; Eric Sevareid, consultant for CBS News; Dr. Thomas Radecki, psychiatrist and chairperson of the National Coalition on Television Violence; Dr. George Gerbner, dean, Annenberg School of Communications; and John Corporon, senior vice president of news for WPIX-TV in New York. j	I
Thursday's "Viewpoint” was the culmination of a two-week series of reports on "Crime in America” presented on the various ABC News programs, such as “20/20,” "World News Tonight,” and "Good Morning America.”
Before the questions started to fly, the audience was shown a report by correspondent Richard Threlkeld that previewed the evening’s topic.
Watson explains
4Viewpoint’ format
By LOURDES FERRER
Hurricane Staff Writer
Beaumont Cinema was the center of attraction last Wednesday afternoon when George Watson, vice president and ombudsman for ABC News and former bureau chief in Moscow, visited the UM campus.
Watson was in Miami producing "Viewpoint," an ABC News program which involves audience participation.
“Viewpoint" aired live throughout the country Thursday from UM’s Knight Center, located in downtown Miami. The topic was “Violence and the Media.”
According to Watson, “Viewpoint” 's live audience creates a “town-meeting” atmosphere where issues of interest and importance may be discussed. He added that this term of programming gives the audience the opportunity to actively participate.
Watson said that both “Night-line” and "Viewpoint” are “considerably successful,” especially when their program is a compelling news story of great interest.
He also said that ABC News presently is in a "neck and neck” race with NBC’s top entertainment show — “The Johnny Carson Show.”
“People are realizing that news and information can be interesting and entertaining,” said Watson. “There is a growing need for more television news programming.”
Watson pointed out that the three major networks — ABC, NBC and CBS — have added 40 hours a week of news and information to their schedules.
ABC News programming currently occupies 30 percent of the time available in the network itself. He also said that Cable TV has three news networks.
According to Watson, the enormous increase in ABC’s news programming is seen with the existence of morning, night and late-late night news.
He added that the potential for a career in broadcast journalism today is better because of the growing need for news and informational programming. People want to know more about the world around them and issues affecting their lives, he said.
Threlkeld detailed the findings of a special ABC News poll which reflected nationwide opinion about violence on television.
The poll concluded the following: 70 percent of the people surveyed felt that there is too much violence on TV; two-thirds felt that TV violence is harmful to society; six out of ten said that TV violence doesn’t bother them; and more than half of those polled felt that TV news places too much emphasis on crime.
Opinions varied widely throughout the panel. While Radecki stated that out of 800 different studies on the subject, 67 percent said there was a direct causal relationship between TV and violence, Danish responded that “the case [that TV violence causes crime in society) is simply not proved,” quoting a study which said that two-thirds of the people polled saw little or no importance in TV’s role as an inciter of violence.
Charren felt that TV plays an important role in shaping the lives of children.	I i
Calling TV “seductive” to the child, Charren said that children spend an average of 26 hours a week in front of TV, making it difficult for them to have alternative experiences.
A legion of the Miami chapter of the Guardian Angels, a national organization of crime-fighting youths, was also in attendance. Pat Bell, leader of the local chapter, asked the panel why groups such as the Guardian Angels are portrayed as vigilantes.	'
Koppei relayed the question to Corporon, whose station is based in New York, the city In which the Guardian Angels were founded. Corporon felt that the group received favorable treatment in New York, adding that “the Guardian Angels got established through TV and print coverage.”
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Miami Hurricane/STUART BAYER
Bill Lord, ABC vice president, spoke at Beaumont about ‘Nightline’.
Sevareid, the veteran CBS News commentator, said that although the case of a direct causal relationship between media and violence has not been proven, there's too much violence on the air. calling the violence “an easy solution for lazy producers as a replacement for entertainment programs.”
Koppei referred to the City of Miami once during the program. Talking about a question that asked why certain cities receive undue attention about crime, he said to Giuliani: “Folks down here in Miami are extremely sensitive .. . They feel that the media has turned their city into the crime capital of America. Is that justified?” Giuliani responded, “It is not justified.”
The panel members’ conclusions were as varied as their opening remarks. Charren said, “If we're going to get some alternatives, we’re going to get them from Public Broadcasting,” adding *.ha', the government be lobbied to increase funding *o PE3.
Sevareid said that society looks at problems as "artichokes,” meaning that they each have a heart. He said they are actually “onions" because they have layers, and in the case of the causal relationship be! ween media and violence, he said that TV “may be a layer."
Corporon theorized that we ought to "think of our TV sets as giant voting machines, if we don’t like what we’re watching, then turn it off."
Koppei concluded the program by saying: "Television is the ultimate form of democracy. We respond to what the public wants. If you feel there is too much violence on television, change the dial. If enough of you do that, TV will change."
ABC’s Bill Lord
visits Beaumont
By ANGELA GREGORY
Hurricane Staff Writer
Opening with a brief lecture Thursday at Beaumont Cinema was Bill Lord, the vice president and executive producer of ABC News "Nightline.”
Lord, here in Miami for a live national telecast, informed the audience that “Nightline” was an innovative and successful program that developed during the Iran crisis.
He described the show as exceptional because of its spontaneous — or live broadcasting — as opposed to it being taped.
“ABC discovered there was a large market for their late night news program,” he said. "If a major news story breaks, people know where to tune in at 11:30 p.m."
After the lecture, Lord responded to questions from the audience.
In response to why the news is always negative, Lord said it was because the news has to be Interesting in order to compete with other programming.
“If we do a show on Israel or racial problems, the ratings are relatively low compared to episodes concerning fire, pestilence and death.
"We are not trying to sensationalize the news, but to report it accurately. We don’t want to be responsible for spreading rumors," he said.
He added that “Nightline" also maintains a balance. “For example, if a pro-abortion show is aired, a show featuring the opposite viewpoint will be aired shortly afterwards," he said.
Regarding people interested in applying for jobs, Lord said, “When hiring, ABC looks for individuals who have a college degree, an ability to get along with others, enthusiasm, and a willingness to work hard.
“To get your foot in the door, send your resume to the executive producer of a program or the news director of a local station. Tailor your cover letter to the person you write to and stay away from form letters."
In response to a question concerning ABC's position on hiring minorities, Lord said he receives a recommendation letter from the employment department when a job is available for a member of a minority group. “Right now, 60 percent of the people on my staff are women,” he added.
Fall pre-registration scheduled for April
Early Registration Calendar of Events
DATE
Friday. Mar. 25 Monday, Mar. 28 Monday, Mar. 28 Monday, Apr. 4
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Tuesday, Apr. 5 Friday, Apr. 8 Wednesday, Jun. 15
Monday, Jul. 11
Friday, Jul. 29
Monday, Aug. 22 &
Thursday, Aug. 25 & Friday, Aug. 26 Monday, Aug. 29 Monday, Aug. 29
PROCESS
Class schedule books delivered to Registrar Academic advising begins Class coupons delivered to academic deans Registration physical setup in the Student Union
Student Union opens for Fall 1983 registration
Fall 1983 registration ends
Students who registered and/or parents receive
billing
Registrations are purged for those students who did not return their confirmation card Permits to Register mailed to students who were purged of their registration because the Registrar did not receive their confirmation card
Payment day for participants in the April registration for the Fall semester 1983 Registration by appointment times:
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Classes begin
Late registration and schedule change in Student Union
By SALLY SPITZ
Hurricane Associate News Editor
Pre-registration for fall of 1983 is quickly approaching. The scheduled dates for registration will be Tuesday, April 5, through Friday, April 8.
All undergraduate day students who are currently enrolled at UM and are not graduating in May, may register in April for the fall semester.
Like past registrations, certain steps must be completed before the actual registration begins. Students must first be advised in their respective schools on Monday, March 28, through Friday, April 8.
Students will be able to pick up class schedule handbooks in the Registration Office in the Memorial Classroom Building (MM111) on or before March 28.
Registrar Sidney Weisburd explained that the student must be advised. complete a trial schedule form, have it approved by the academic advisor, and pick up a slip at the ^Registration Office. The slip will tell the student the date. time, and place to register.
On the scheduled day and time, the student will pick up and fill out his/her registration kit and confirmation card at the Student Union.
The student, along with his/her trial schedule, confirmation card, appointment slip, and registration kit, will then proceed to the second floor of the Student Union to register for course coupons.
After filling out the necessary cards, the student must take the coupons and other registration materials to the first floor of the Student Union, where Bursar’s office personnel will fill out a tuition/fee statement with charges for tuition, fees and materials' charges.
Then on to price checking, where the students’ registration materials will be collected. The student will be given a copy of his/her trial schedule and a letter of instructions.
The confirmation card is a self-addressed, postage-paid card which
the student must return on or before July 11 to confirm the fact that he/she plans to attend classes in the fall.
Weisburd said that students should return the card, even if they are not planning to return. By stating on the card that they will not be returning, he said, the Registrar's office will be able to return their coupons to the pile for other students.
Those students who return the confirmation card and state that they will be returning, will be scheduled to return to UM on Monday, Aug. 22, or Tuesday, Aug. 23. These will be special payment days for the students to pay or make arrangements to pay their tuition and fees.
The students also have the option to pay in advance when they receive their bills on June 15.
The permits to register will be mailed to the students during the first week in August.
On Aug. 25 and 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will be the “mop-up" registration for fall. Late registration and drop/add will take place Aug. 29 through Aug. 31.
Weisburd said that they expect to have 100 percent undergraduate participation in the early registration.
If the student is scheduled to register during a class period, he/she will still be able to attend the registration period until 4 p.m. or on the following day.
Miami Hurricane/STVART BAYLK
Across the checkered flag
Roger Mandeville of Spartanburg, South Carolina Is congratulated after finishing first in Saturday's GTU race at the first Miami Grand Prix. Mandeville took home the prize of $7,000 for winning the race. For a closer look at the Miami Grand Prix, see page 9.
Inside
•-V ■	• •
‘National College News*
The award-winning feature with reporta from the College Pree» Service on the news affecting collage student» nationwide /PAGES
Violence and the Media
Two opinion* on television’s responsibility for violence in society /PAGE 4
Cant! Gnu revisited
A review of the weekend'* festivities at Carni Gras 1983 / PAGE «
Interstate rivalry
The Hurricane reports on the weekend baseball series between Miami and Florida State /PAGE 8
Thunder by the Bay
An exclusive Hurricane pictorial on the first-ever Miami Grand Prix /PAGE »
Opinion /PAGE 4	Entertainment PAGE 6
Sport» PAGE 8	Classified* /PAGE 10
Undergraduates to be awarded at Honors Day
By ODALIS RODRIGUEZ
Hurricane Staff Writer
Classes will cease and music will play this Honors Day as faculty and administrators participate in a pro-at the Cox Science Building and ending at the Gusman Concert Hall. Grand Marshal Harry	P.
Schultz, chairman of the chemistry department, will lead the procession.
The ceremony, which begins today at 2:30 p.m., officially begins Honors Day, during which 100 undergraduates will be honored. Classes have been cancelled from 1:40 to 4:20 p.m. for the scheduled events.
Following welcoming remarks at
Gusman Hall by Dr. James L. Ash, director of programs in Honors and Privileged Studies, departmental, school and honor society awards will be presented by President Edward T. Foote, the provost and the deans of each school.
The honorees were nominated by department chairmen and the deans of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Schools of Business Administration, Education and Allied Professions, Engineering and Architecture, Music, Nursing, and Continuing Studies.
In addition, the Professor of the Year will be announced and the new members of Phi Beta Kappa will be recognized.
Fifty-five students were invited to join the university’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Delta of Florida, which received its charter from the national organization on Feb. 6. UM is the third university in the state to earn the right to shelter a chapter of the organization.
This year’s convocation address t
on "Fitting Misfit Honors into a Dishonoring World” will be delivered by Martin E Marty, the Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago.
Marty is the premier historian of American religion and is widely known for his popular commentary in the national media on American religious, social, and political values.
He is also associate editor of The Christian Century and author of various books, including A Cry of Absence and the award-winning Righteous Empire. Marty is currently working on a four-volume work covering the history of American religion through a 500-year period.
He is past president of both the Society of Church History and the American Catholic Historical Association as well as being the holder of 19 honorary degrees.
Marty is an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sci-
ences, the Society of American Historians, and other academic and honorary societies, and is an elected member of the American Antiquarian Society.
A board member of the National Humanities Center, he is consultant to a project on Health/Medicine and the Faith Traditions. He is also an editor for the Free Press Encyclopc dta of Religion, which is now in the planning stages. He writes regularly for the major encyclopedias and journals in his fields of research.
As an alumnus of the University of Chicago, Ash has known Marty for several years and had this to say about his old professor: "Dr. Marty is the most lively and interesting speaker I know among big-name humanities scholars. Listening to him is an unforgettable experience."
There will be a reception following the conclusion of Marty's address in the patio west of the Ashe Building. In case of inclement weather, it will be held in the lobby of the Cox Science Building.
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